Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to current sensing, and more particularly, to current sensing using drain-source voltage.
Background
Current sensors may be integrated on a chip to monitor current across a chip. For example, a chip may comprise a plurality of blocks (e.g., processing cores, a modem, etc.) and one or more current sensors for each block. In this example, each current sensor may measure the amount of current consumed by the respective block or a portion of the respective block. The current sensors may output their current measurements to a current-management system that manages the blocks based on the current measurements.
For example, the current-management system may compare the measured current for a block to a current threshold. If the measured current exceeds the current threshold, then the current-management system may take steps to reduce the current (e.g., by reducing an operating frequency of the block, shutting down the block, etc.). In this example, the current threshold may be set to a value that prevents the temperature of the chip from becoming too high, which can potentially damage the chip.